[Prevalence of cervical infection by Chlamydia trachomatis among Chilean women living in the Metropolitan Region].

BACKGROUND

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. In women, chlamydia infections are 75% asymptomatic and can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Infants exposed to the microorganism at birth also have a high risk to develop conjunctivitis and pneumonia.

AIM

To determine the prevalence of C trachomatis in women in the Metropolitan area of Santiago (Chile).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Cervical specimens were collected from 403 women attending three gynecological outpatient settings from April 2003 to June 2005. These included one public hospital (n=100), a private medical center (n=268), and a clinic for adolescents (n=35). Mean ages of each group of patients were 35.6+/-8,2, 33.4+/-8.1 and 16.9+/-4.2 years, respectively. The diagnosis of C trachomatis was performed by the amplification by PCR of a 517-base pair segment of the cryptic plasmid on specimens extracted by a commercial procedure. Positive specimens were confirmed by nested PCRs targeting the ompl gene. The presence of vaginal infections and its association with C trachomatis was investigated in a subset of 223 women of the private center.

RESULTS

C trachomatis was detected in the cervix of 19 out of 403 women, resulting in a prevalence of 4.7%. The distribution of positive cases among different age groups was not significantly different. Women presenting with bacterial vaginosis had a significantly higher prevalence of C trachomatis infection (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

This study found a high prevalence of C trachomatis among gynecologic patients that should prompt preventive strategies.